Tag Archive for 'charles-river'
I walk slowly through subtle hues of red-yellow
Earth draped in light
Falling gently with the winds of time
As the world begins to sleep.
Lungs filled with winter’s breath
And the cool, crisp crackle of leaves beneath my tread
Slow my pace to match its own
And I pause.
Patiently waiting for the outbreath
To guide my wandering steps and fleeting thoughts
Past the falling sun
And toward the horizon.
Where I can rest in the peace and calm
Of tomorrow.
It’s funny how some of my favorite shots are taken in passing without any prior intent to photograph. This one was taken on my way home after I had packed up all of my equipment. The contrast between the sunset and the greenery instantly caught my eye and caused me to stop for a while. I probably stood there for about a minute trying to decide whether or not the picture was worth taking until I finally caved and set up shop. Whenever I’m indecisive about something I always remember the following corny but inspiring words: “There are no mistakes, only missed opportunities.” And for the most part I have found this true in life, especially when my instincts are involved. Have you ever just felt that you should do something, but been afraid to do it because logic may have dictated otherwise? Maybe you rationalized to yourself about why you shouldn’t do it and why its irrational to trust your gut. As it turns out, some of the most successful people on this earth are also some of the most irrational - keep that in mind. And when it all comes down to it, most avoidance type rationale can be narrowed down to simple fear.
And fear is definitely hard to overcome sometimes - the fear of failure, the fear of being looked down upon, and even the fear of success. Fear can be a powerful deterrent, but it helps to remember that many times the things we obsess and debate over most are the things we are most afraid of. And the more we obsess over them, the more clouded our vision actually becomes. That’s why it is so important to trust yourself and to not over think things. If there’s a feeling in your gut, follow it don’t stifle it because if its strong enough it will likely return to haunt you. Now, I’m not saying that you should go around exercising your every whim to the detriment of yourself and those around you, all I’m saying is that you should believe in yourself enough to explore what your heart is telling you. I like to think of it as a “measured leap of faith.” First comes the feeling in your gut that’s telling you you should do something. This is usually accompanied by strong positive emotions, driving emotions, motivating emotions… the very kind of emotions we want to keep. But the next part is where things can fall apart. Our mind takes over and starts running the numbers to see if it all makes sense. When it doesn’t, anxiety ensues replacing the positive emotions and keeping us at bay. The really dangerous part is when laziness takes over along with anxiety. Your brain figures it is too much effort or too far out of reach so you just stop to “conserve energy.” Don’t let that happen to you. Be driven in life or it will drive you where it wants. Harness your passions and use them as fuel to propel you towards your dreams. We were born with emotion and instinct for a reason. Don’t let your natural “fight or flight” response turn to “flight and flight.”
So clearly I’m advocating the “leap of faith” mentality, but am I saying that we shouldn’t think about our decisions at all? No, on the contrary, that’s where the “measured” part comes into play. If your leap takes you off a cliff, then it doesn’t pass the sanity test… you haven’t measured the distance to where you’re going. But, if you stop to actually measure the distance rather than claim with instant authority that it’s too far, you may get an answer that allows you to jump and still land on your feet. You probably won’t know exactly how you are going to get there, but you’ll know enough to know your idea isn’t stupid. Now it well may be that your idea is the craziest thing in the world (the crazier the better actually!), but the important thing is that it not be stupid. Stupid is anything that hurts yourself or others or preys off the weaknesses of others for your own benefit. Stupid is pursuing something despite absolute knowledge of failure. The good news is that almost nothing in life is absolute, and most people are inherently good (I believe) so they aren’t likely to have gut instincts that actually lead to the harming others.
What about this whole fear thing? So you’ve measured the distance and you’re ready to make the jump, but you just can’t seem to bring yourself to do it. This is likely because you are afraid of falling. It’s really a deficit in faith more than anything else, ruled by fear. I could say, “well, don’t be afraid.” But I know as well as you do that we can’t just snap our fingers and make fear go away. There are a few things that have helped me most in overcoming fear:
1. Death is imminent. If we live for 100 years, it’s still nothing in the grand scheme of things so why waste time being afraid to fail when eventually you won’t have time to worry about anything anymore? I know this sounds a bit morbid, but really think about it, don’t just read it. Think to yourself, “One day I am going to die.” Say it like you mean it, you already know its going to happen, but if you realize its going to happen, it will start to change how you perceive the world. Be careful here though. You don’t want to think yourself into a premature death, nor do you want to use the fact that you’re going to die as a reason to render all your passions and dreams insignificant. You ARE alive now. (Tuesday’s With Morrie by Mitch Albom is a great book discussing the power of death and its impact on life)
2. Visualize the TRUE fall. Associate more fear with missed opportunities than with the possibility of “failing” or making a “mistake.” Failings and mistakes are the only way to build experience and they’re rarely catastrophic enough to destroy your life… and if they do well hey, you’re going to die anyway remember ;). See what I’m getting at? You need to really visualize the pain that would come to you if you continued to miss opportunities in your life. Really play the story out in your head and envision what your life will be like years down the road if you continue to let fear fuel your decisions. Make sure you end the visualization with something you fear. Even if your life is good and you appreciate what you have (which you should if you have the time to read this), the only way to break free from a habit you don’t want is to associate fear with its continued practice (Read “Awaken the Giant Within” by Anthony Robbins for more information on how we function as pain avoidance, pleasure seeking machines).
3. Visualize the leap. Associate more pleasure with the possibility of success than with the guarantee of safety. I can’t tell you how important this is. Whatever you believe in life will make itself manifest (law of attraction - too many books to list that discuss this, please ask me if you’re interested as there are some great reads out there). See the end result you want clearly in your mind and never get it out of your head. Live it as often as possible… FEEL it as often as possible. Get emotional about it, move yourself to action.
4. Leap, don’t fly. This point is extremely important. With all the self help books and and inspirational writing that can be found these days we have people thinking they can actually fly after reading a few books. Before you run you must learn to walk. The same holds true for everything. Don’t expect instant results and instant success… get the consumer mentality out of your head as there’s nothing instant about changing lifelong habits and ways of thinking (the inspiration can be instant, but results take work). Anyone who tells you otherwise is just trying to sell you something. If you try to fly and fail before you even get off the ground you’ll quickly revert back to the original fear that prevented you from trying in the first place and whats worse, it will be harder for you to get inspired again and to overcome your fear.
I’d like to end with some advice that my parents gave me when I was kid that has stuck with me till this day. My dad used to repeat these words to me over and over again when he saw me start to trip up with something: “Patience, persistence, and no nagging.” Sounds simple doesn’t it? But I return to those words whenever I start to struggle with something and I’ve found that they always help me up. My mom used to give me similar advice, but in a different way - with an analogy. Picture yourself at the beach, you pick up a handful of sand and in a desperate attempt to hold onto it forever, you make the tightest fist you possibly can. In the process, all the sand escapes through your fingers and is lost. However, if you open your hand and let the sand rest on your palm, it will stay there so long as the winds remain calm. So calm down, take things slow, maintain balance, patience, and persistence, and never nag or complain. You’ll be set for life. Thanks mom and dad! 
Phew, all done. There you have it, my recipe for taking measured leaps of faith in life. If you have any questions or comments feel free to post them below or email me directly. Take care of yourselves.
I can’t make it to the sunset after work anymore due to daylight savings time and the approaching winter. Even though I leave work at 4 PM, by the time I get home at 4:30, the sun is well on its way to setting. But that’s ok because it means more night shots like this one which I love anyway
You may have noticed that I haven’t taken too many photos of foliage over the past month. This is mainly because I have been sick and secondly because I spent a good deal of time building a new computer so I can process pictures faster and maybe even play a *few* games. Now that I am all better and my computer is all built, most of the leaves are on the ground (dramatic irony). Regardless, there’s still some color left in this city be it on the ground or otherwise and I fully intend to capture some of it before winter takes hold.
This photo was taken on the Esplanade in Boston (where else) and as you can see there is plenty of color. My last post was about having the courage to take the path less traveled… the divergent path, if you will. For this post I am going to switch gears a bit and discuss our rights of passage across whatever path we choose.
Rights of passage are defined by more than the desire to pass. For everyone has desires, but to have a right one must have nobler intentions. It is a common misconception that rights come with birth, that we are somehow entitled to a life of moral righteousness on our own terms - this is not true. Without the moral constructs of society rights fade away to nothing more than desires. Only when desire transcends selfish intent does it become a right. Only when it upholds tenets that are deemed noble, true, and just by the common populace does it become necessary. But history has shown us that the common populace is far more uncommon and divided than one would hope. Who then has the right? The dominant power, those suffering, or neither? There is no answer to that question because it is false… we are all suffering. So long as there is a winning and losing side we as a race will suffer. So long as right and wrong are dictated by the whims of the powerful and neglected by the efforts of the merciful, we will falter. Until right and wrong are forged by the human race as a whole, our rights of passage will remain as elusive and ever changing as the wind. Perhaps such thoughts are too idealistic. Perhaps we are doomed to an eternity of fallen empires and rising rebellions. If that is the case I can only hope that more bridges are built than burnt in my lifetime and that my desires remain congruent with my rights.
These shots are from a recent photo shoot down at the Esplanade in Boston. This is probably one of the few places you can watch a sunset in the city, which is why half my photos are tagged with Esplanade 
Regardless, the sunsets from here are always beautiful.
Cleatset
I took this shot by resting my camera directly on the dock, sans tripod. Considering the camera weighs close to a ton, it’s not surprising that it remained still for the 9 shots required to create this photo.
River Path
This shot shows the bike path that runs along the Esplanade.
Creamsicle Dreams
I couldn’t really think of a better title for this one. I wanted to express the shift in colors in the sky from the sunlight on the right to night’s beginning on the left with the transfer between the two happening somewhere midway. That was my intent at least, but all that kept coming to mind when I looked at this photo was, “creamsicle, creamsicle, creamsicle.” I must be hungry.
Sunset’s Reception
Sunset’s Reception 2
Break Time
It’s amazing what the camera can reveal that the eye cannot initially see. When I went out to take pictures tonight I expected the heavy cloud coverage would make for less than ideal conditions. My camera quickly proved me wrong. As I opened the camera up stop by stop I began to notice a myriad of colors appear. First blue, then pink, then orange, followed by the lush greenery of the foreground. Slightly perplexed I put my camera down and looked up at the sky. Was it my eyes or camera that was betraying me? I searched for the answer meticulously as my eyes panned the night before me.
The closer I looked the more I could see that it was I who was at fault. Directly above my oblivious self was one of the most beautiful skies I have ever seen. But it was a different kind of beauty, not the overt in-your-face kind that grabs your attention at first glance. This beauty was completely naked, free from the blinding adornments that scream at all your senses, begging for their simultaneous attention.
I can best compare the sky tonight to a beautiful woman with frizzled hair and all her makeup washed off right before she goes to bed at night (yes, ladies, you are most beautiful when you look like “crap”). Now imagine seeing that same woman walk down the street as you pass her by. You’d most likely think she’s either homeless, hideous, or just plain crazy. But say you stop for a moment to ask the woman her name. As she looks up at you, you notice her half-closed dreamy eyes, followed by her subtle smile and soft imperfect skin. At first this combination confuses you, but as you gaze deeper you begin to put all the individual pieces together to form a picture that is her true beauty. That, my friends, is what I witnessed tonight - a crazy homeless woman walking down the street looking for a place to sleep… just kidding.
Hidden Beauty
Fissure
Here is a shot from the Esplanade in Boston - one of the few places you can see the sunset in the city. I felt like writing a little story, so here it is. It’s kind of long, perhaps overly romantic, and definitely a bit sad, but that’s what I see when I look at this photo. Oh, and it’s not a true story. It may be, I have no idea, but I wrote it more from the perspective of the person sitting on the bench - there was something very bittersweet about the whole thing.
I Remember
I remember the forest’s edge where we used to linger on midsummer days as we watched the sun’s light yield slowly to the beckoning night - a beautiful combination of yellow hues, jaded skies, and fiery reflections burning in her eyes and lighting mine in turn. We tried desperately to hold on to what was never meant to stay, whispering slowly as lovers often do in hopes that their love will echo on for eternity - an eternity that only they can hear.
I remember the tree and the bench underneath where we used to sit, just laughing for hours. I would watch her delicate smile form carefully as her hair cascaded around her face, revealing beauty with every movement. And though our laughter would fade with the sun, we could still hear it in each others eyes.
I remember when I lost her, when they took her from me and said that our time at the forest’s edge was at an end. She would look at me with those eyes and say simply, “Remember.” Those were her last words to me, and they will echo on for eternity as I return to the forest’s edge to sit by our bench under the tree… to see her smile once again, hear her laughter fill the air, and watch the sunset in her eyes. And I remember. I remember and I smile back in hopes that I will see her once again.
I’ve been abnormally quiet for the past few weeks because of camera problems, but my D200 is finally back and I’m ready to get started again, especially with the summer fast approaching. The dust problem is still there, but I don’t care at this point - it’s much better than it was and it still takes great pictures which is all that really matters. This shot was taken on the Longfellow bridge in Boston. The day started off rather cloudy, but gave way to this gorgeous sunset.
Trainset
The wind howls through time
Past my face and into the dusk
Collapsing the light onto itself
In a vortex of blissful surrender.
Breath by breath
I breathe the stillness of the moment
Breath by breath
I breathe the fury of the wind.
The argument is ended sharply
By the pulsating sound of steel
Against steel, reverberating
Into the fading light.
I close my eyes in anticipation
Waiting for the night to come
And take one last breath
Before the day is done.
Just when I thought I was going to go an entire day without taking any pictures, my roommate Jerry called to tell me there was going to be a nice sunset on the esplanade (an area directly by the river in Boston). Well, he was sort of right. While we didn’t really get to see the sun set per se, the light scattered by the sunset into the cloud formations above made for a truly beautiful sight. This is sort of like that Tom Cruise movie, “Vanilla Sky,” but without the crazy.
Oh and as for the technique, this would be my first photo which uses Orton - a technique which combines an out of focus image with an in focus one for a very soft and sublime result. I think it suits this shot nicely. For more information see the excellent tutorial written by a fellow photographer here.
